A/N: Wow! The rest of the chapter. I didn't think I would be able to finish it so soon, but oh well. woot! a long chapter.

Arrowsphere: Ironically I got your review while typing this chapter. Crazy. And it gave me more inspiration. I was nervous how readers would take that sudden change. If you go back and reread Chapter 5 it makes it kinda sweet. Awww. I'm kinda sappy. And it's not the armor that did the pull, but it helped, you'll find more in later chapters. Suspense!

Pt. 2

The sun rose in the sky casting light into the small room and onto a blue haired boy's face. It flowed through him, warming him and made him feel complete. It was nice to feel the day like this, to feel acceptance of the light, to feel warm.

Something blonde cuddled next to him shuddered and pulled away from the light, pulling blankets up further around them. It seem to crave more sleep, wanted out of the light. Something about this puzzled him, this couldn't be right.

He opened his eyes and looked out the window into the day, as if seeing it for the first time. He had never realized how beautitful the day was, how blue the sky could be.

Thoughts that weren't his own flooded into his head, it wanted away from the light, it wanted to be warm and safe asleep in the dark, to be free, not confined in blankets. It realized this didn't seem right, either. He knew whatever was at the back of his thoughts was confused, lost in space and unsure.

Space...

Stars...

Seiji. It was Seiji that was in his mind, feeling his elements, his thoughts. He had woke to what Seiji would've felt and he was confused, but memories were coming back to him.

Violet eyes looked from under the blanket into his and he could see into the thoughts there as if they were his own, he could almost feel his own eyes staring back at him, or was he the violet eyes? He wasn't sure.

No, he was Seiji, not Touma. He shook his head and sat up. Or he had been Touma and Touma was him. They had been of one mind in two bodies and it was starting to seperate now. He had been Touma as Touma would see him. He shuddered and blinked. It was if they were taken over by their elements and became one, everything exposed. And now a part of Touma was with him and him with Touma, they would never be quite the same as before, what they had just done was something couples and lovers had been trying to do for lifetimes. But now it seemed normal, because half of him was Touma.

Repulsion to both elements flooded through him and he became sick, but managed to keep it inside. The turmoil inside his body was nauseatingly painful and he saw the other boy felt it, too. It was the elements trying to balance out and take back what was theirs. After a moment it settled and both boys shuddered and laid back on the bed, staring at the plastic stars on the ceiling.

(current story line)

Sage rolled to his side and stared across the room at Rowen. "You can't sleep either."

"No."

It was silent for a moment before the blonde looked back at him and held up part of his blanket. Rowen took the offer and laid down next to him, studying the blonde in the dark.

"Have the stars stayed?"

"Since you've been out, yes." He found himself scooting closer to the warm blonde.

"You love the night, don't you Ro?"

"Yeah, well.. obviously." He looked confused.

"I didn't like the night. Not until... I met you." He thought about the words for a second and stared at Rowen. "I was afraid of the night, until I met you. Now I know a part of it because of you. Just as you should know the light because of me. I dreamt of a place tonight, that was something beyond what I could ever imagined. Or maybe I dreamt of it all week. But I met someone there, she said that I needed the strength of five, but I only have four. You know her, Touma."

"Hastings." He looked away and bowed his head.

Sage grabbed his chin and pulled his eyes back to him. "Have you given in to the darkness Touma?"

"Seiji -"

"Have you given in Touma?"

"Seiji please don't."

Violet eyes stared at him. "I promised you I'd change you back, I won't let you burn out Touma. I will give you a light so bright that you can find your way back even if you are completely lost in the dark."

"Seiji?" Rowen stared at him, confused, as Sage pushed their lips together forcefully. Electricity flowed through Rowen, like a current of warmth and of light, flooding everything in his body, it was so bright he couldn't see and he felt himself lost in it.

Sage had just laid Rowen down gently when it hit him, like he knew it would. He'd been scared of Rowen's power before, the vastness of the stars, you could lose your mind in it, but he had been linked to Rowen. This time it was a backlash from Strata all his energy being forced into Rowen had forced Strata into him, it blew through him like a hurricane, quick and angry at being disturbed and pulled away from his master, but as it settled Sage found himself lost in the stars, being pushed deeper and deeper into the vastness, unable to control his speed. He looked around him in either direction and was amazed to find he was in space, he felt as though he had been lost here for hours.

"Come back to us, Halo."

A light white energy wrapped around him and began to gently pull him back, it was very comforting and reminded him of the warmth of Halo he had almost forgotten.

"If you had went to far, I wouldn't have been able to bring you back. Your soul would have been lost in the power of Strata forever."

He turned and saw a bright light, his body almost rejecting it before he forced himself to look. It came from a girl in white robes, her hair was platinum and long, and she looked identical to Hastings. Her eyes were the same pure crystal blue, almost white and she, too, had small silver bells all over her. Under her robes her costume was identical to Hastings, only white and light greenish white, and she had a crown in her hair as well. She was probably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The energy holding him came from her and she was staring at him with her head tilted to the side in a sad way.

"You're the one I've been searching for."

"Yes, Halo. It is I you have been seeking. I've been inside Halo waiting for you."

"But you've come to me now through Strata... how long have I been lost?"

"You have been drifting for hours Halo. Touma is watching over you now, you were his anchor, but you went too far without your own. If I had not come you would be lost."

"I understand. I didn't realize his energy would be so strong, it didn't feel like Touma."

"Touma's energy is vast like space, it has become corrupted. If you stay here too long it will corrupt the light of Halo and you will die. It is not necessarily his armor he hears anymore."

"Is Touma in danger then? Will he die?"

"Night is natural for him, Halo. It is part of the Strata, he will have to learn to control it to hear his armor again. But the darkness will suffocate the Halo armor and kill it's bearer, it is not fitting for a child of light. Just as the Torrent armor could destroy the Wildfire. Inferno could destroy that of Hardrock. Your power is just as vast as theirs, light travels on forever, you must learn to unlock that power within you or all the armors and their bearers will die."

"What about Ryo and the Inferno? Will he kill Touma?"

"If the Halo armor is lost then Inferno will destroy all the armors, it was designed for destruction."

"So what do I do?"

"You must stop the darkness, if not Inferno will destroy everything."

"I don't understand how I'm suppose to do it. What am I fighting?"

"You will know when the time comes, you will sacrifice for the lives of others. Halo armor will purify the darkness."

"I don't understand! You don't mean for me to kill Touma do you?"

"Take this offer Seiji, it is the inner power of Halo, when the time comes you will use it. Do not be afraid of it or it will consume you. Do not be afraid to sacrifice, if you hesitate it will destroy everything. The power it holds is stronger then that you are use to, there will be consequences, but once you take this it cannot be undone, the power is forever yours, do you accept this?" She opened her hands and a small glowing light appeared, it swirled between green and white and she held it out to Sage.

Somewhere inside something stirred within him. "I accept."

He opened his hands to take it, but it sucked into his chest, a deep warmth, strong like a current, familar to him but stronger then he remembered it, it arched out like a bolt of electricity and blinded him before his vision cleared.

"If you need me again Halo just call to me. My name is Sterling. Rememeber that sometimes battles will not always be good vs. bad. Sometimes we must do the wrong things for the right reasons. You're heart will guide you."

"I can't kill Touma."

She smiled again at him sadly and his vision began to blur, then he was out before he could finish.

"Farewell Halo, for it will not be Strata that you sacrifice. It is not the dark that needs cleansing."

Sage woke to a cool hand on his forehead and a current of running through his body, almost like water, it was calming the burning tingling sensation flowing through him. He could feel Cye's power running through him and he tried to sit up.

"How are you feeling? You gave us a bit of a scare." Cye helped him up, smiling nervously.

"Not too bad, where's Rowen?"

"Not here. He needed air." Ryo answered from the end of the bed with Kento.

Sage glanced around the room, it appeared if a hurricane had swept through the room and blown everything about and the others were staring at him in strangely. Maybe those were the consequences?

"What happened?"

"Your energy collided with Rowen's, almost tore the armors apart. We've never seen anything like it before." Cye cocked his head to the side and looked to Ryo who spoke next.

"Then after Rowen informed us of what happened, the power of Halo shot through the whole house. It collided with our elements. It took the four of us to contain it."

"It was pretty cool dude, you should've seen it. The power went out and everything." Kento grinned lopsidedly. "Knocked Cye right out of his chair."

"It did not!"

"DID!"

"It doesn't matter!" Ryo rolled his eyes. "The point is, your power spiked and boosted. You almost leveled the house and everything around it."

Sage pondered this for a moment and looked around. "I wasn't trying to level the house, I'm apologize. I think my armor was looking for an 'anchor.' I was lost in Strata, it was trying to pull me out."

"Well I don't know what you two are doing, but can you please explain it to us? Before something else happens?" Ryo looked like he was probably a huge ball of nerves at the moment.

"I gave Rowen a part of Halo." Sage stared at his leader.

The other two looked confused.

"You can give parts of your armor?" Cye seemed intrigued.

"Why Sage?" Ryo was still staring at him.

"Because of what we've all been dreaming, Cye called to me when he felt it, Kento feels it, you feel it. Rowen already had the dream and he gave into it. Whatever it is will turn Rowen against us, he already ignores the call of his armor. If he has something to hold onto I don't think we'll lose him."

"What are we fighting Sage?"

"Rowen."

The blue haired boy stood at a clearing in the woods. He knew the others would be talking to Sage and he didn't want to be in the room when he woke. Whatever had pulled Sage back made him nervous and his armor shiver. It wasn't something Rowen had ever felt before, his armor shivering internally, he didn't know what had done it and he didn't want to be near it when Sage woke.

"It is the light that troubles you, Master Strata."

"Hastings." He turned to face her.

"The inner power of Halo is corrupted and it will destroy you, your armor doesn't like it." She placed a hand on his chest. "You must destroy the Halo armor before it destroys you. And the armor of Inferno, it will destroy everything. The other armors will be easier, they will succomb to you."

Rowen pushed her away. "I won't do it, I won't kill Sage or Ryo."

"Halo is corrupted, if you do not kill him he will kill you. You already know the armor of Inferno was created for destruction, he will destroy everything."

"Ryo won't bend to anything and he can't call on the power of Inferno without the four of us."

"You can do anything you want with your elements, your mind is what restricts you. And if Ryo wanted it bad enough, he could call the Inferno armor without your will, unless you learn to use your power. "

"How do I know what you say is the truth?"

"Do as your armor tells you to do, do what you feel is right."

"Since I've met you, I can't really tell the difference between my heart and my armor. Even if it were true, if the power of Halo is awakened, how is my armor going to be strong enough to stop it?"

"You just need to learn to listen better. I will help you with your own power, but you must be ready for it, if you feel the Strata power's is vast now, this is a hundred times more intense." She raised her hands and a dark blue ball appeared swirling with a soft ultraviolet glow. "This is the internal power of Strata, what makes your element. Once you accept it, there is no taking it back, as did Halo agree to destroy your armor, you must use your power when the moment comes. And with this power comes sacrifice, will you accept it?"

Rowen watched it for a moment, seeing the swirls turn and change inside the ball, beckoning him to it. He could feel his armor pushing forward trying to reach out for the energy in her hands and he took this as his cue, surely if his armor felt it was right...

"I accept."

The ball went into his chest and a wind blew through him stronger and more powerful before, blowing him away from everything but complete darkness.

It was dark here, comforting, and warm. He was alone as he had wanted so much, but it was also lonely. He'd never been afraid of the dark, he knew the stars were always there, but here there was nothing but black. He was not sure how long he'd been here or how he got here, but it felt like maybe he'd always been here.

Was he born here?

Just now becoming self aware of his surroundings?

These thoughts made no sense to him, and yet, they did. He had forgotten something important, or been forgotten, he wasn't sure. He couldn't remember that either. It was very frustrating.

There wouldn't be anyone one to help him remember, either.

He began to panic when a name came to him and he realized that he wasn't just an essence. "Touma..."

Another thought came to him weaker then the last. "Seiji..."

He wasn't sure what this 'Seiji' was or why the word came to him, but it seemed familar and eased the fear down, something else about this Seiji... light perhaps?

There was warmth with that memory of light and he called to it, hoping that it could hear him. It remained dark for a moment and he almost panicked again until something small and green glowed in front of him. It was small orb that sat in the palm of his hand and seemed to grow, surrounding him in a familar warmth.

He wasn't sure what this meant, but it promised him. He smiled and hugged his arms around his self, he wasn't forgotten after all.

Stars appeared then, circling around him and he felt himself coming back. He still wasn't sure what this light was, but it had found him and brought him back to his stars.

The shockwave hit the four through their elements, so strong that it was like having your soul shoved out of your body.

Sage looked at the others. "We've got to get to Rowen, now."

Hastings smiled as Rowen shook his head and sat up. Around them branches had been torn from trees and it looked as a major wind had blown everything over."I feel like I've been hit by a bus."

"It was a lot of power for a normal person to handle, but you did it. You know what you must do, Strata."

"Yes. I must destroy the armor of Halo." He narrowed his eyes and stood. "Then the others will fall by my hands."

She put her arms around him and hugged him to her. "They will come to you, stay with me for now."

Rowen lifted an eyebrow at her, and smirked at the look that crossed her face.

"I want a taste of your element. I want to experience Strata." She put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him down until their lips met.

Pain seared through her, it was like a strong wind forced her away and she was lost in space, drifting further and further out unaware of who she was and what was happening.

Rowen smiled and held the body to him tighter. "Then you will experience it, forever."

With a simple snap he broke her neck and tossed her down. Nothing would stand in his way, not even a power stealing witch.

"I know you're coming Halo. I can feel it." He grinned again and started walking to were he knew Halo would be. When he was done with the blonde he would destroy Inferno.

A/N: That's the end of Pt. 2 YAY! Isnt it exciting? I think so. And what a long one, huh? Well... long for me anyway. Since it was two parts to one chapter.